WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Environmental and energy groups, including the association that represents almost 70 percent of the country's utilities, made their pitch to Congress before year's end as talks accelerated about the stimulus package being crafted by the incoming administration.

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball Memorial Hospital will plant a 30,000-square-foot green roof on its new $87 million extension called South Tower.

Oakland, Calif. -- The drive to create communities that balance environmental, economic and social responsibilities through planned development is growing as shown by projects in Texas, Georgia and Tennessee.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Kennecott Land's Daybreak Corporate Center in South Jordan, Utah, attained a LEED Platinum rating, Citi obtained LEED Gold status for office space in Chicago and Pizza Fusion opened its 16th restaurant built to LEED standards.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Professional and aspiring architects, product developers and other innovators are invited to submit entries to the third annual Lifecycle Building Challenge, a competition that seeks the best designs for structures and products that minimize waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and maximize reuse of materials.

BOSTON, Mass. -- The Harvard University Extension School is offering a popular course on strategies for environmental management via distance learning.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Research released by the National Restaurant Association shows that Americans are looking for healthier options and "greener" restaurants when they dine out, in addition to an increased interest in value and convenience.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- Government buildings in England and Wales emit more than 11 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, more than the entire country of Kenya, the Guardian reports.

BOSTON, Mass. -- Table scraps, discarded meals that never make it to the dining room and aging leftovers. Garbage to you and many in the food industry, perhaps, but it's a windfall for New England firm Converted Organics.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Wells Fargo & Company's environmental financing has exceeded $3 billion, hurdling past its goal of providing $1 billion in commitments to Earth-friendly projects and doing so two years earlier than expected.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Energy is awarding as much as $80 billion for 16 contracts covering energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation projects at federal facilities.

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. -- The 84-year-old building housing the Times Square Arts Center and the New York Times' acclaimed new headquarters are stepping up their energy efficiency with help from green lighting systems.

TOLEDO, Ohio -- The Alliance is creating an Integrated Energy Master Plan that can be applied to several far-ranging initiatives, including a Ohio college campus and Chinese residential community.

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Ernst & Young examines the eco-friendly efforts of hotels and resorts in eight regions of the world, finds progress in the greening of the hospitality industry and identifies 10 areas in which the business could do better.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California schools from elementary to community college level now have a step-by-step guide that the state hopes will inspire districts to generate electricity on site in order to slash energy costs.

Rotherham, UNITED KINGDOM -- A new standard for green buildings in the UK was set recently, after a building in Yorkshire installed a recycled wind turbine to help it generate the electricity it needs to produce hydrogen to power fuel cell vehicles.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Business development centers in Idaho, Nebraska, Nevada and New York are receiving a total of $500,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration to help fund energy efficiency projects.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- A survey of U.K. architects found that customers are the main driving force behind green building. The most popular practice: Using salvaged or recycled building materials.